Tailings Engineer

Location: Forbes, MN

Cleveland-Cliffs has an opening for a Tailings Engineer in Forbes, MN. This position requires direct involvement in the oversight of all tailings basin dam safety activities including basin planning, geotechnical monitoring, management, and operation of Cliffs tailings storage facilities reporting out of our Forbes MN location. This also includes various freshwater retention structures and related appurtenant hydraulic outlet works. The position will work with each site’s operations & technical staff and integrate with engineering consultants/ contractors as required. The position will be mentored and technically advised by the greater Cliffs tailings team. The tailings basin engineer is the responsible site person(s) whose role is being accountable for delivering the tailings basin project being all facets of basin engineering, long range planning, basin construction, instrumentation monitoring, metrics reporting, and ongoing QA/QC work that ensure uninterrupted tailings storage and associated slurry transport & water management for continued site operations. The individual directs and synchronizes work activities of the greater basin operations teams, with authority and responsibility from the site management and corporate directives, to either execute and/or direct all tailings basin activities on a day-to-day basis.

The Tailings Engineer is a professional who organizes, plans, and executes tailings basin projects while working within constraints like budgets and schedules. The Tailings engineer prepares plans and direction for site operational teams, defines and communicates project direction and goals, communicates progress with management and stakeholders, and sees the greater tailings basin project through operations to its closure.

Summary Of Responsibilities

• Involvement in the geotechnical planning, design, and construction of large earthwork structures and systems for basin tailings slurry disposal and containment.
• Review and/or preparation of short and long range planning for tailings disposal and construction activities.
• Participates in preparing maintenance/operation manuals and technical guidelines for dam safety.
• Participation on site tailings project teams including major tailings basin expansion projects.
• Involvement in the review, design and implementation of various geotechnical monitoring activities at the operations including drilling programs, inclinometers, piezometers, seepage monitoring, etc.
• Maintenance of tailings basin documentation (design, engineering, construction, and regulatory documentation) and data in a consistent, timely, and orderly fashion in the specified electronic (or physical) repository currently being the technical group file server.
• Review and participation in design and operational performance audits of operational mine tailings basin and related physical infrastructure.
• Monitor operations water balance, assessment of ponds, reservoirs, and associated hydraulic works.
• Construction management assistance related to basin earthwork projects including computer aided design, survey alignments, construction survey, earthwork volumes, payment volumes, geotechnical monitoring, project budgeting and cost forecasting, and contract administration assistance as required.
• Oversight of field construction based upon developed computer aided design drawings using photogrammetric digital aerial mapping and/or digital photo imagery.
• Review construction and geotechnical investigative drilling reports and supporting documentation.
• Participate, prepare and/or execute periodic Probable Failure Mode Analyses (PMFA) of basins and water retention structures.
• Participate, prepare and/or execute periodic drills related to tailings basin Emergency Action Plans.
• Assist in design reviews and/or field implementations of wetlands projects.
• Prepare timely and accurate reports for various geotechnical projects including the development of project schedules and progress reports.
• Explore latest technologies and best practices related to tailings basins and evaluate their suitability for operations.
• Participate or lead tailings basin projects related to environmental compliance and improvement activities.
• Ability to travel to all mine sites in Michigan and Minnesota along with other travel for technical training and conferences as required. Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.
• Provide assistance to business units & corporate functions as requested.
• Depending on tailings experience and/or the sensitivity of discrete project work as determined by the director, the site engineer may be supported (or directed) by select subject matter expert(s) of the greater Cliffs’ tailings basin engineering team to ensure continued success of the project.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Geological or Civil Engineering is required.
• Registered Professional Engineer (PE) or Engineer-in Training (EIT) certificate until required experience is obtained for PE.
• Strong technical skills and understanding of tailings facilities including: tailings basin operation, water balance, dam construction, and monitoring.
• Strong familiarity with geotechnical principles, surveying & mapping (drones ), and CAD drawing.
• Knowledge of regulations applicable to management of tailings facilities and mine site operations.
• Knowledge and experience with computer software related to Civil and Geotechnical applications.
• Demonstrated technical report writing and strong verbal communications skills.
• Demonstrated project management experience with emphasis on civil and earthwork projects.
• Applicants for this position must be currently legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 to 5 years of professional experience related to Geotechnical Engineering and Hydrogeology is preferred.
  
  

The salary range for this role is $80,000 - $105,000. An employee’s pay within the salary range will be based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is the largest flat-rolled steel company and the largest iron ore pellet producer in North America. The Company is vertically integrated from mined raw materials, direct reduced iron, and ferrous scrap to primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. We offer an excellent total compensation package including competitive pay with variable compensation opportunity, health insurance, retirement plan, education assistance, paid time off, and more.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to careers@clevelandcliffs.com or call 1(312) 899-3097 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Do not email your application materials to this email address. Application materials sent to this email address will not be considered.Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is an equal opportunity employer - M/F/Veteran/Disability. We are a drug-free workplace and conduct pre-employment screening as a condition of employment.